9 new movies open in Memphis theaters July 24 with big

9 new movies open in Memphis theaters July 24 with big-screen variety

Nine new feature films — tales of horror, Hadestown and a haunted heist — are set to open in Memphis theaters on Friday, July 24.

But those choices won't cast a siren's spell for most moviegoers, who, like the homebound hero of a Homeric epic, likely have a predetermined destination in mind: namely, Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," which begins its second week July 24, following a blockbuster opening weekend in which the almost three-hour spectacle earned a Cyclopean (as in "huge, massive," per Merriam-Webster) $246 million at the worldwide box office.

With "The Odyssey" expected to dominate audience attention, the week's new additions represent an odd mix of art, genre and specialty films, in limited release.

"Pinocchio Unstrung" is the latest R-rated ("for strong bloody horror violence and gore," according to the Motion Picture Association) revamp of a classic so-called children's story by the British filmmaker Rhys Frake-Waterfield, who previously turned a profit with such expired-copyright exploitation desecrations as "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey" (2023) and "Bambi: The Reckoning" (2025). But if the "Unstrung" title puppet is a resident of the public domain, that's not true of Jiminy Cricket, the Disney version of Pinocchio's talking-insect companion; that's why Robert "Freddy Kruger" Englund, in the new film, is credited with providing the voice of an arthropod simply identified as "the Cricket." "Pinocchio Unstrung" opens at the Cordova, Desoto and Hollywood 20 cinemas.

Another new horror movie is "Her Private Hell," the 11th feature film in 30 years from Danish enfant terrible Nicolas Winding Refn, the cult director of such movies as "Drive" (2011), with Ryan Gosling. With a score by 84-year-old Pino Donaggio, known for his work with another stylish and bloodthirsty director, Brian De Palma, "Her Private Hell" features Sophie "Yellowjackets" Thatcher in what the Internet Movie Database describes as "a hypnotic, unhinged thriller" that promises "plenty of glamour, sex, and violence." Which doesn't tell you much. The movie opens at the Studio on the Square, the Collierville Cinema, the Hollywood 20 and the Atoka 16.

Horror and howls (of laughter, the filmmakers hope) come together in "Haunted Heist," which represents the directorial debut of stand-up comedian and actor Lil Rel Howery (who no doubt paid close attention when he acted in another directorial debut, comic-turned-horror master Jordan Peele's instant classic "Get Out," released in 2017). Starring Howery, Tiffany Haddish and "Stranger Things" alum Brett Gelman, the Detroit-lensed title-tells-the-tale production is about a group of friends seeking to steal a valuable antique from a haunted house. The movie opens at the Collierville, Cordova, Desoto, Olive Branch and Paradiso cinemas.

Like the version of "Hamilton" on the Disney Channel, "Hadestown: The Musical" is a filmed stage presentation. The movie was shot in 2025 at the Lyric Theatre in London, and reunites the principal cast members from the musical's 2019 Broadway production, which won the Tony for Best Musical. Those who thought Nolan's "The Odyssey" could have used some song-and-dance may appreciate this musical's approach to Greek mythology; and those disappointed by the lack of Greek gods in Nolan's film may take heart from the "Hadestown" cast of characters, which includes such deities as Hermes, Persephone and Hades himself. "Hadestown" opens at the Collierville, Desoto, Olive Branch, Ridgeway and Stage cinemas.

Adapted from Azar Nafisi's 2003 nonfiction best-seller of the same name, "Reading Lolita in Tehran" opens exclusively at the Studio on the Square. Directed by Eran Riklis, the movie stars Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani as Nafisi, whose memoir describes her efforts to read such forbidden novels as "Lolita" and "The Great Gatsby" in a secret book club after her country's Islamic Revolution.

An ex-con played by Alan Ritchson (Aquaman from TV's "Smallville") seeks vengeance against the gangsters who framed him in 1970s Detroit in "Motor City," directed by the intriguingly named Potsy Ponciroli (whose "Old Henry" has spent much of July in the Netflix Top 10). The movie will be at the Collierville, Cordova, Desoto, Olive Branch, Paradiso, Stage, Wolfchase and Atoka 16 cinemas.

'Brunello: The Gracious Visionary'

Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, whose 1988 "Cinema Paradiso" won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and was a huge international hit, "Brunello: The Gracious Visionary" is described as a hybrid documentary (it includes dramatic reenactments of real-life situations) about fashion designer and billionaire mogul Brunello Cucinelli, who rose from an impoverished childhood to build a "luxury brand" empire. The film opens exclusively at the Forest Hill Cinema.

'Jana Nayagan' and 'Chennai Love Story'

Also opening are two films for the Mid-South's Indian community. "Jana Nayagan," at the Cordova Cinema, is a political thriller starring the actor-politician known as Vijay, while "Chennai Love Story," at the Wolfchase, is, you guessed it, a love story.

John Beifuss is an entertainment writer at The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at john.beifuss@commercialappeal.com.